Wacky
by Nocturnal Elle
Summary: A sequel to my "Personal Demon" story. A little girl has shown up, with her mommy's hair and her daddy's teeth. Sweet girl.
1. Chapter 1

Buffy vaulted over a row of headstones and tackled Willow and Xander to the ground as a bolt of blue light shot past. The slayer peeked over one of the graves to see their pursuer let fly another blast of energy.

"He's nothing if not persistent. Xander, can you keep Wills covered while she finishes the blinding spell?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll be the distraction. Willow, you ready?"

The witch nodded. "Be careful, Buffy. There won't be a way to tell right away if the spell has worked."

"Then just make sure it works, 'kay?" Buffy crawled off behind the headstones as the demon's screeching voice called out "You cannot hide forever, Slayer, your blood _will_ be mine!"

Xander and Willow heard Buffy mumble "yeah, yeah" as Willow closed her eyes and held up her palms. As a sort of physical plea of the spirit world, Willow had to keep her eyes closed while she performed the incantation. Xander kept watch for her, ready to pull her out of harm's way if necessary.

Spike could see the light show over the Rolling Hills cemetary from his crypt a mile away. He had nothing better than Harmony to do, so he decided to check it out.

He lurked behind a rather large oak tree while he took in what seemed to be going on in the latest Sunnydale version of what normal people called "Tuesday night." There was the Slayer, dodging blue bolts of energy that were being thrown at her by what appeared to be a seven foot tall garden gnome, minus the hat. There was the Witch, palms out like she was playing patty-cake and eyes closed while her lips moved quickly. And there was the Whelp, holding on to Willow's elbows and watching Buffy duke it out with Father Time. The only player he couldn't get a real good look at was whatever was in the cage near the giant gnome.

Maybe cage wasn't the right word. It was more like a chest, about four feet square, and it had openings, covered with bars, on all sides. For a moment, a little pale limb emerged between two of the bars. Probably some sort of child locked in there. Gnome snack? Demon offering? Hard to tell.

Spike didn't feel the need to get involved. Aside from her hair getting a little singed by the last bolt, Buffy seemed to be doing well. And Willow looked alright. He frowned at that. He'd told himself a dozen times that he wasn't going to think about the little witch. But was it his fault that she smelled so nice? And that she blushed so gloriously? Or that her neck had the softest little place behind her ear...

He needed a cigarette.

"_...duculda simalacrum est..._ now, Xander..." Willow whispered.

"Buffy! Down!" Xander yelled and stood Willow up, turning her to face the blue-haired behemoth they were fighting.

The Slayer hit the ground and Willow opened her eyes. When she did, beams of what looked like sunlight shot out of them. The gnome guy made a screeching "aieeee" noise that sounded an awful lot like Xena's battle-cry on testosterone as the light connected with him. His skin began smoking. "This isn't over, Slayer!" he bellowed and pulled his cloak over him, disappearing.

Willow slumped back into Xander and they hobbled over to Buffy. The blonde rolled onto her back. "Did he just pull a St. Nick? I swear he had to put his finger on his nose to disappear like that." Xander held out a hand to help her up.

"Now do we get to see what's in that box he was so intent on smuggling out of here?" Willow asked.

Buffy headed in the direction of the chest. "My vote is Leprachaun. He kept yelling something about it being the thing that will lead him to riches."

"Leprachaun," Xander noted. "Good cereal. Bad movie."

The three knelt beside the box. There was a heavy lock on the lid.

"Did we bring an axe?"

"Do we _want_ to open it?"

"Does anyone smell Cheetos?"

Buffy and Willow gave Xander a look, one that had been patented especially for him. Buffy opened her mouth to say something when Willow sat forward.

"I _do_ smell Cheetos!"

Then came the distinct sound of munching.

"So," Buffy began, "the idea I'm getting here is that whatever is in that box is _snacking_?"

Xander sat forward and peered inside the box. "Hello?"

The munching stopped. Two little hands took hold of two of the bars and suddenly a small face with a very orange mouth peered out at him. "Hello?" the face repeated. It was a little girl; she appeared to be about 2 or 3 years old. Buffy was already examining the lock to figure out how to get the child free.

"Well, hey, little one," Xander said warmly. "You're not a scary night thing at all. Who put you in that box?"

"Bad man," the little girl said breathily. "Badmanbadmanbadman."

"Awww," Willow cooed. She shifted next to Xander. "Buffy, hurry. We've got to get her out of there."

At the sound of Willow's voice, the girl began to fidget. She tried to stick her face through the bars. She couldn't see Willow from the angle she was at.

"Whoa there, little bit, don't hurt yourself. Miss Buffy'll have you out in a minute." Xander was doing so well with the child, one would have thought he had little siblings.

Buffy tilted her head at him. Her look said "_Miss Buffy_?" He shrugged. "So, no axe, right?" She shook her head. "Can you get her to sit down in the corner? I think I can smash the lock, but I might dent the side..."

Xander tried to coax the little girl away from the opening nearest the lock, but she was still fervently trying to push as much of her face and hands through the bars as possible. Willow stood up and moved to the side of the box that Buffy wanted the girl crouched in. "Xander, come over to this side, maybe then she'll-"

Before Willow could finish, there was a little face staring up at her. "Kinda like that," Willow murmured. "Hey, there." The little face didn't speak. Willow looked at the girl. She had the biggest blue eyes. And red hair. "Look," Willow said. "We've both got red hair." As soon as she said this, the little girl's hands shot through the bars and she put her little Cheeto-dust covered hands on Willow's face. It was like she was looking at her in awe.

"Might want to hurry, Buffy. I think I've freaked her out."

"This might be loud... one... two..." She brought her foot down on three. Willow kind of jumped as the box shook violently, but the little girl seemed perfectly at ease.

Xander and Buffy moved the splintered remains of the lid away so they could get the girl out. Now they could see that all she had on was a long white t-shirt. The only other thing in the box was the half-empty bag of cheese snacks. The first thing the little girl wanted when they pulled her out her makeshift carrying case was to be picked up by Willow. She promptly wrapped her legs around Willow's midsection and rested her head on the older girl's shoulder.

"I don't think you frightened her, Wills. I think she likes you." Buffy acknowledged. "Maybe you seem familiar or something. You could pass for her big sister, you know."

"You think that demon kidnapped her? How do we find out who she belongs to?" Xander asked.

As if in answer, the girl raised her head off Willow's shoulder and said "Mommy."

Buffy stepped forward. "Yes, we'll find your mommy."

"No!" the girl shouted. She pulled back and looked at Willow. "Mommy," she stated, her own blue eyes locked on Willow's green ones. Willow stiffened. She couldn't possibly be...

And then the little girl's head pulled back. She began to sniff and her eyes began changing colors... they began to glow. She smiled widely and when she did, Willow gasped. Two of her little baby teeth were little fangs. "Daddy!" the girl squealed enthusiastically. She wormed her way out of Willow's grasp faster than any of them knew what was happening and then she ran off.

"What just - did she call you - what happened with - did you see?" Xander's questions matched the confused looks on Buffy and Willow's faces.

None of their looks matched the face of the surprised vampire that was now walking toward them with a little girl clutching one of his hands in both of hers.

"You don't mean -" Xander was looking back and forth between Willow and Spike with what could best be described as a "horrified" expression on his face. Buffy had crossed her arms over her chest. Willow was already blushing furiously.

Spike went straight to Willow. "Well, love," he drawled. He reached down and hoisted the girl up into his arms. "She's got your hair and my eyes."

Willow looked at Spike standing there, small child in his arms and she swore her vision blurred. No wait, not just any child... _their_ child. Her and Spike. A child. Her hair. His eyes. Real child. Not dimensional being. She was a mom. Spike was a dad. She was the mother of Spike's child. Where had all the air in the cemetary suddenly gone?

"Sp-ike?" Willow's voice sounded tight and strange. "I think I'm gonna..."

He caught her to him easily as she fainted. The other woman in his arms giggled. "Mommy surprised."


	2. Chapter 2

When Willow came to, the first thing she noticed was a familiar smell. A mixture of smells, really. Leather. Cigarettes. Night. _Spike_, she thought to herself and couldn't help the "hmm" that accompanied the thought. She opened her eyes and then she noticed a lot more. Spike was carrying her. One arm was under the bend of her knees and one arm was around her back. Her head was tucked under his chin and each step he took rubbed her cheek across his duster. She tensed up. He stopped walking.

She lifted her head to look at him. "What's going on?" she asked softly.

"We're walking home. Can you walk?"

She nodded like she hadn't even heard what he had said. He let her slide out of his arms, but he didn't let go of her. He kept a hold on her arm as he started them moving again. Buffy and Xander hadn't seemed to notice yet that Willow was awake. They were preoccupied with the little girl.

"Home," Willow commented drowsily, like she wasn't quite aware of everything just yet.

"Your parent's home, love. Couldn't take the little one back to the crypt or the dorm. Your pals said your parents were out of town, so we're headed there."

"The little one," Willow repeated dazedly. She sort of stumbled.

"You're not going to faint again, are you?" Spike sounded perturbed. And he was, really. It was much easier to pretend you hadn't shagged someone when you weren't physically touching them.

Willow hoped she wasn't going to faint, either. She was a veteran Hellmouth fighter and she'd _fainted_ earlier? Geez. More important, though, was that she needed to not faint so that Spike didn't end up carrying her again. That was awful chivalrous of him. Willow didn't mind so much being the damsel in distress if Spike was the hero and that kind of thinking led to Harlequin romance situations and there need be none of that, no sir, thank you very much.

"Willow?" Spike had noticed the way her brow was crinkling.

_Oh, no, he said my name. Does he _have_ to do that?_ Willow actually grimaced. "Nothing. Fine."

By the time they made it to Willow's parent's house, it was after midnight. Spike had to promise to be on his best behavior before he got an invite inside.

"Riley's got to be wondering where I am," Buffy said. "I told him we were just going on a routine patrol."

"Anya will be wondering where I am, too," Xander added. They put the little girl on the sofa and tried to get her to lay down. It didn't work at all at first, but she couldn't seem to fight the sleepiness anymore after Willow sat down near her and began stroking her hair and talking gently to her. Buffy and Xander moved toward the door. Spike sat stoically in a living room chair.

"So do you think she's, uh, very human?" Xander didn't know a better way to put it.

"Well, she doesn't seem very demon-y, does she? I mean, aside from the little fangs and glowy eyes," Buffy said.

"I just mean that Willow and Spike..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. "I mean, that wasn't _that_ long ago. This girl seems what, two? Three years old?" Xander watched the two redheads on the couch.

"I'm more concerned about what other traits she picked up from her 'dad,' y'know? Aversion to sunlight? Penchant for blood?"

Spike turned toward the slayer. He could hear everything she was saying, and it was getting under his skin for some reason he couldn't explain. He cast a look at Willow with the girl's head propped against her thigh. It gave him a warm, unfamiliar feeling in his chest. He stood up and went over to Buffy and Xander.

"Why don't you two run off to soldier boy and demon girl? I'll stay here with the witch and the kid."

Xander kind of snorted at him and Buffy asked bluntly "what for?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "For protection, are you daft?" He wanted to raise his voice, but he knew Willow had almost coaxed the child asleep. He settled for an exaggerated whisper. "Did either of you forget that some nasty was after the little one? I know you're both anxious to get off to your shag toys, but someone has to stay here."

Xander still looked mad, but a light had gone off for Buffy. She watched Spike turn around to see Willow and the child and she noticed his features soften when he did.

"You want to protect them, don't you?" she asked. Spike turned back to her. He didn't look at her and he didn't answer. He shrugged.

Spike always managed to surprise Buffy. She'd been watching him interact with Willow ever since the whole Dreska fiasco. She didn't like what she saw, but she thought she understood it. She wouldn't go so far as to say she trusted him with Willow's life, but she did figure he could be counted on to at least get them escaped if the demon came for them later. "Let me run it by Will first," Buffy heard herself say.

"Oh, you're not serious!" Xander hissed in his own loud whisper. Buffy frowned at him and went to Willow. Spike crossed his arms at Xander and gave him a tight, condescending smile.

"Is that okay with you, Will?" Buffy asked. She'd explained that she'd be back first thing in the morning. They'd go to Giles and start up research mode.

Willow half-listened to her friend. She was watching the girl. "Buffy, she looks like me when I was little." Willow looked up at her friend. "This is very strange. I think I can feel my heart stretching to care for her. Is that weird?"

Buffy smiled. "Weird? What is weird anymore?" She stood up. "Get some rest, Willow. Spike knows he's dust if anything happens to you, to either of you. I'll see you in the morning."

When Buffy and Xander had left, Spike made sure all the doors were locked. And he made sure no light would be hitting the couch in the morning in case the girl did have, as Buffy put it, any aversions to sunlight. Then he sat down in the chair closet to Willow. "Is she asleep yet?" he whispered.

Willow nodded and looked up at him. Her breath caught a little. He was looking at the sleeping girl so softly. He didn't look like a vampire at all; he looked like a proud father. "She's amazing, isn't she?" Willow asked.

Spike's eyes drew up to Willow's face slowly. "Yes. Yes, she is." He let his gaze linger on her. Alone with the witch, finally.

Willow was kind of tired. She had a peaceful feeling from watching the little creature on the sofa, but that peace seeped out of her when she realized she was alone with Spike. They hadn't been alone since that time in the mausoleum. She felt a funny feeling start to form in her gut. Being alone with Spike was suddenly making her very nervous. "Um..." she shifted so that the little girl's head lolled off her leg. "I think I'm going to go to bed. You can stay wherever. I mean, you can sleep down here. Or stay up... awake. You can stay awake, if you want. I'm going. Upstairs." Oh no, the rambling had started. She gave him a weak smile. "Bye."

_I made her all flustered_, Spike realized with a smile. This could be an interesting night.

* * *

_You will _not_ think about the vampire downstairs. You will put on your pajamas. You will go to sleep._ She cut off the lamp in her room, but she left the light in the hall on. Better to see by if she had to get up and go downstairs. To see on the child, of course. No other reason.

Willow stretched her arms and climbed onto the bed over the covers. It had been an interesting night and she got the feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day. She also got the feeling she was being watched. She rolled over to find Spike standing in the doorway. Standing might be a loose term. Leaning in the doorway. Draped against the doorframe. Whatever term best described someone who looked really good next to her bedroom door.

"Don't you think it's kind of sexy?" he asked.

She realized she'd been staring. "What?" she asked. She hoped he couldn't see in the dim light that her face must have turned red.

He jerked his head in the direction of downstairs. "The child."

Willow started to make an "eww" face and possibly next she would have begun yelling, but he caught his mistake. He laughed a bit and stepped into her room. "No, love, I don't mean that the little girl is sexy. I'm not into that. I mean that you and I made her. I find that sexy." He was standing at the foot of her bed.

She had the feeling someone like Spike found a lot of things sexy. How could he not? He oozed "sexy" from every pore in his body. And he knew that. But did he know that whenever he hinted that anything about her was desirable that it made her head spin? Did he understand that when he, Spike, the definition of sex, found her, Willow, the definition of geek as a sexual creature that it made her want to devour him? Boy, she hoped not.

"I think about you a lot, Red. Did you know that?" His voice was normal. It sounded more like he was making a comment than asking a question. It made her nervous anyway. "N-no," she answered. "But it wasn't really even me, you know."

"It was you that last night," he said with a smile.

He crawled onto her bed. He moved so gracefully, muscles rippled in all the right places, eyes never strayed from her face. The look on his face, in his eyes, plainly said desire and she blushed and had to look away. "Spike," she stated. He was supposed to hear in that one word all the arguments that weren't quite making it to the surface. The argument for why they shouldn't do what it seemed obvious they both wanted to do. And if she didn't say anything now, she was going to be lost, because her higher brain functions were shutting down one by one.

He climbed over her, but he didn't touch her. He had to see if she'd touch him. He could see it in her face, the doubt and apprehension. But she wasn't telling him to leave, and she was making little effort to escape herself. "Do you remember that night, Red?" He kept his voice low, rough. He knew the ladies liked that. He smiled when she involuntarily closed her eyes and lifted her head at his voice.

"Well, yes, I - ahh..." she gasped. Spike had moved to her neck when she closed her eyes. He was kissing and licking a trail from her collarbone to her ear. She forgot that she was supposed to be saying something and she got lost in the sensation of his mouth on her. She reached her hands up and one found its way into the hair at the base of his skull and the other seemed to be pulling his shirt up.

Spike smiled to himself. She wanted this. Her head told her it was a bad idea, but her body was willing. She was touching him and he loved it. One of her hands was snaking up under his shirt and the contact of her flesh against his was getting them both excited. He could feel her temperature rising, and then her fingers brushed one of his nipples and he couldn't help but growl into her throat.

Willow was completely lost in the moment, in the sensations, until Spike growled into her neck. It was like a bolt of electricity shot through her entire body and made her want more. She shivered. And then she had a single moment of clarity that produced one coherent thought: if she didn't get out of bed _this instant_ she and Spike were going to have sex. And it certainly wasn't that she didn't want to, with every fiber of her being, but that she hadn't planned to and she felt that was a decision she needed to make _without_ him on top of her, making little shivers go up her spine.

"No, no, no, no, no..." Willow babbled as she pulled her hands up to Spike's shoulders and shoved him off of her. As soon as he rolled free, she was up and scrambling off the bed. She stood in the doorway, shaking. "This is not going to happen tonight," she stated firmly.

Spike swore under his breath. So close. She must've thought he was going to bite her. She was visibly shaking. Didn't she know he couldn't hurt her? They all knew it by now. "I wasn't gonna bite you, love." He sounded defeated.

Willow's head cocked to the side. Is that what he thought? That he'd scared her? That was kind of sweet... And he sounded so sad. And his hair was all messed up and his shirt was bunched up and showing part of his stomach... Willow took a step forward and then caught herself. She smiled and nodded her head. "I know, Spike. Good night." She took one long look at him while she closed the door. She'd just sleep in her parent's room tonight. Well, maybe she'd take a shower, then go to sleep. She padded off down the hall.

What had he been thinking? That the witch would just let him have a little shag while he stayed the night? That she could be so easily seduced? He was a bleedin' idiot. He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. And the he shot up to a seated position. She'd said it wasn't going to happen tonight. She said tonight. She didn't say ever. He lounged back on the bed and tucked his arms under his head. He could wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Willow slept fitfully. She still hadn't processed that there was a living creature on her parent's sofa downstairs that appeared to be her daughter. Spike's daughter.

And there was, of course, Spike. He had always been a temptation, with the way he looked, the way he spoke, the way he moved. Oh, and it wasn't like the whole affair with Dreska had helped one bit. It isn't as if one can go back to business as usual after that. What had happened in her room earlier was proof. Months of trying to keep her distance so that she could pretend she wasn't attracted to him, pretend they hadn't slept together. And in one evening of being alone with him for thirty minutes, she'd let him see how he affected her. Great.

It was morning now, and Willow knew she needed to get up and check on her houseguest downstairs. She also knew she might run into the other houseguest upstairs, so she checked the mirror for how bad her case of bed head was before leaving the room. But when she passed the room where she'd left Spike the night before, she saw that it was empty. He must have gone back to the crypt before dawn. Her heart sank, and as the notion settled in that she was genuinely bummed that he was gone, she made a face. Pretty soon she was going to have to own up to some feelings for the guy.

Willow tried to be quiet as she crept down the stairs, but the little girl rolled over to face her as soon as she entered the room.

"Been awake long?" Willow asked. The girl shook her head. Willow sat beside her on the couch. She didn't know what to say.

"Um... do you have a name? What should I call you?" That seemed a good place to start.

"I don't have a name yet. I don't get a name until I'm older, she says."

"Who says?" Willow asked.

"My other mommy." The girl then nodded, as if this was important information.

This seemed a good opportunity to Willow to broach the "mommy" topic. "Do you mean Dreska?"

She didn't understand the question. Willow tried a different tactic. "Your other mommy - she lives in a different place, doesn't she?" The girl nodded. "Did she send you here? Did you both come here?"

The girl scrunched up her forehead like she wanted to help Willow but didn't know how. "I woke up alone. It was dark."

Willow patted her hand. This wasn't going anywhere. "You want breakfast?"

* * *

_Several hours later at Giles' place._

"So she's bringing the girl over, then?" The watcher took a sip of his tea.

Buffy was stretching on the floor. "Yeah. They're on their way."

Xander and Anya were already picking out which volumes of text to flip through. Anya hefted _Demons Through the Ages_ onto Xander's stack. "I did this one last time." Xander made an "ungh" sound. That volume didn't have any pictures.

The sound of muffled singing outside Giles' door let everyone know Willow and the little girl were there.

"Hey, guys," Willow said sheepishly, as she entered the apartment with a little redheaded whirlwind twirling behind her. "For future reference, when feeding a small child... pancakes and syrup: good in theory, baaaad in practice."

As a paternal instinct, Giles' eyes automatically narrowed a notch upon mention of "syrup." He glanced at the girl's hands. Just how sticky would they be? He cleared his throat. "I do see quite the resemblance."

Xander piped up from across the room. "Just wait till you see her impression of dear old dad."

The little girl squealed at the sound of his voice and charged him. He made an exaggerated "oof" and let her knock him over.

"Does this little bundle of energy have a name?" Giles inquired.

"Not really. Says her 'other mommy' told her she doesn't get a name till she's older. But I told her she could already have a nickname, so we'd have something to call her. She picked Cyn."

"As in cinnamon?" Buffy asked from the floor. Willow shook her head.

"As in 'seven deadly'?" Xander asked.

Willow smiled. "As in Lauper, Cyndi." She shrugged. "We watched a lot of VH1 this morning."

Cyn began singing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and spinning again.

Willow informed the others of all she'd been able to glean from the girl earlier. "I don't think Dreska sent her; I think somebody stole her out of her dimension somehow. Maybe that demon we took her from last night. She said she woke up and it was dark. She was probably disoriented; the next thing she talked about was her stomach making noises."

"Demon dude steals her out of her dimension, where she's probably just air or light or something and when she gets here, she's human - mostly - and she gets hungry." Buffy looked to Giles and Willow for agreement.

"And time no doubt moves differently where she was. That's why she's already so old when it hasn't been that long since you and Spike - " Giles took another sip of tea instead of finishing his sentence. Willow and Buffy just kind of nodded.

"So, er," Giles continued. "We need to ascertain exactly what sort of danger the girl is in, I suppose."

"And figure out how to return her to her 'other mommy.' She's great and all... and I want to protect her... but I just can't be a _mom_ to her, y'know?" Willow cast a look at Cyn, romping on Gile's floor with Xander. What would she tell her parents? "Mom, Dad, meet my supernatural daughter?" That would go over worse than dating a musician.

Willow's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden howl of pain from Xander. The next thing she knew, Cyn had rushed over to her and was clutching her leg in fear.

"Xander?" Willow's voice held a note of alarm.

"I'm sorry," he started. "I didn't mean to scare her... she just..."

Cyn tried to bury herself in Willow's long skirt as Xander approached.

"...I was poking at her, then she'd poke at me... we were laughing and then..." Xander held out his forearm.

"You're bleeding," Buffy commented. "It's not an average day without any bloodshed, huh?" She went off in search of Giles' first aid kit.

"She bit you?" Willow asked. Xander nodded slowly; he seemed reluctant to blame Cyn for the action.

Giles watched in apprehension. Sweet as the young girl seemed, he had notions that this incident would only be the first, and most innocuous, of many if they didn't return her to where she belonged.

The three adults looked at the child. Tears had welled up in her eyes, but she wasn't crying. She had balled her fists into Willow's skirt. "I want to see Daddy," she whispered, her lower lip trembling. Willow's heart ached for her. Cyn didn't understand what she'd done wrong.

Buffy came back to patch up Xander's arm. "Guess she knows where she gets it from."

Buffy's oft-hand comment earned a frown from Willow, but Giles thought it made a point. "Maybe letting Spike interact with her wouldn't be such a bad idea. He himself has, after all, had to learn how to interact with humans without hurting them. Maybe he could provide useful."

"If he hadn't already provided himself so 'useful'..." Xander's mumble was shushed as Buffy pressed the bandage more firmly into his arm and gave him a "don't go there" face.

Willowed pried Cyn out of the death grip she had on Willow's legs and pulled her into her arms instead. "I'm willing to try it." Willow ran her fingers through the girl's hair to calm her. "Will it be okay with you guys if I just take her there now? Can you research without me?"

Xander made a "pshh" noise. "This book stuff? Like pros, we are." Buffy nodded. "Take her on over there. We'll try to find out who that dude was who had her last night and how he must've gotten her."

"Okay, sweetie," Willow cooed. "Let's go see if Daddy is awake yet. He likes to sleep in..."

* * *

As it was, Spike was indeed sleeping. Willow hadn't bothered knocking. She assumed when someone lived in a crypt, they wouldn't be too picky about guest etiquette. But when she saw his bare back facing her, and his head pillowed on his equally bare arm, she hoped under the blanket covering him to the waist wasn't more bareness. Well, maybe "hoped" wasn't the right word.

"Whoever you are, you better have brought my breakfast," he growled.

"Uh, not exactly," Willow replied. She made her way further into the crypt. "But I suppose I could be talked into getting something for you. As long as it doesn't involve Willy's. Or maiming and killing. I mean, it's not even noon yet. I reserve maiming and killing for the evening."

Spike had rolled over slowly at the first sound of Willow's voice. He hadn't expected this. He sat up. She was babbling about getting him breakfast and that made him smile softly at her. She came and stood near him. The girl was sucking her thumb and resting her head on Willow's shoulder.

"Why are you here?" Spike asked.

"She wanted to see her dad," Willow explained. As if on cue, two little arms reached out to him. He took her easily, and Willow had to marvel at that. It was like he instinctively recognized the girl as his progeny.

"She had a little, um, incident earlier."

Spike threw the blanket off and stood up, still holding the girl. _Slept half-dressed_, Willow noted.

"Incident?" Spike was shuffling over to his duster. He dug in the pockets.

"Well, she bit Xander."

Spike found his cigarettes. He smirked as he put one between his lips. "Atta girl," he drawled to the little one in his arms.

Willow crossed to him, frowning. "Don't," was all she said, as she took the unlit cigarette from his mouth, fingers brushing his lips. He matched her frown. "And don't be like that about Xander, either," she admonished. "In fact, please try and refrain from all of your bad habits around Cyn."

"Cyn?" he asked quizzically, and Willow explained that she'd had the girl choose a name.

He brushed some of the girl's bright red hair off her forehead. "I think it suits her." Spike watched Cyn for a moment. "She seems a bit subdued, doesn't she?" He walked over to his arm chair and settled in it.

"She could be bottoming out after her sugar high earlier, I suppose." Willow hadn't noticed that she was unconsciously following Spike wherever he went. "And then she seemed a little frightened after the thing with Xander."

"So you brought her here to see dad." Spike had arranged Cyn in his lap. She seemed content to nestle into him. Willow felt a little envious.

"Well, actually..." Willow began.

"Ah, there it is. Now comes the real part."

Willow ignored him and continued. "Giles and I sort of thought that you might be able to help Cyn to acclimate to humans and not, y'know, hurting them..."

Spike didn't say anything for a minute. When he finally came forth with an "I see," Willow had no idea if he was mad or what. She shifted her weight from one foot to another. She was about to open her mouth and suggest she go after him something to eat after all when he said he had an idea.

"You look rather uncomfortable just standing there," he commented. "Why don't you come and sit with us?" Cyn raised her head off his chest expectantly.

Willow couldn't fight the imagery of herself crawling onto Spike's lap that came with his suggestion. "Uh..." was her initial dignified reply. "That chair doesn't really seem to be made for three."

Spike moved closer to the side. "We'll make room." He extended one arm over the back of the chair. "Besides, how am I supposed to model for Cyn how she should behave with humans if she doesn't see me being gentle?"

Willow was already moving slowly towards them.

"I promise," he said. "I just want to show her how gentle I can be." He kept his eyes locked on Willow's as he said this.

She slid into the remaining empty space in the chair. He let his free arm relax around her. Cyn stretched her feet over Willow's legs. And Willow found herself melting into them. This felt so good, so right. She shifted and angled herself until her shoulder was resting up under Spike's. He let his fingers dance across her arm. And they began to talk.

They talked about Cyn, and pancakes and VH1 and the clothes Willow had found to put Cyn in. And they talked about cemetaries and the hellmouth and demon dimensions. Cyn watched them out of her big blue eyes. Willow felt very peaceful. And Spike must've felt that way, too, cause he was usually pretty good about hearing people and/or things approach his crypt. Maybe he was too busy listening to the sound of Willow's laugh.

None of them were prepared when the door to the crypt was thrown open and the tall, hairy demon from the night before burst in. The smile fell from Willow's mouth, and the color drained from her face. "Bad man," Cyn whispered.

All of Spike's senses came alive, but he remained still. This demon was big; he wasn't sure if he could take him alone. He shifted all of Cyn's weight onto Willow. "You're paying for that door, mate."

The demon's laugh rumbled in his throat. "Amusing." He lumbered closer to the three. Willow closed her eyes and began whispering the spell she had cast the night before. She hoped she remembered the words.

"I have come for the child. I do not wish to trifle with the parents."

"Trifle?" Spike stood. "I may be smaller. But I wouldn't say _trifle_." He morphed into gameface. Cyn crawled out of Willow's lap and behind the chair.

The demon looked past Spike. "Stop that," he said to Willow. She didn't open her eyes, and she didn't stop whispering. Spike stepped in front of her. "I believe your attention should be on _me_."

The demon roared with laughter. With one hand, he shoved Spike to the side. With the other, he let a blast of energy forth at Willow. It hit her, sending her body over the chair and onto the stone floor. It felt like she'd been hit by a bus made out of lightning.

The last thing she remembered before the world went black were Cyn's high-pitched screams.


	4. Chapter 4

Something smelled burnt, and everything hurt. Willow groaned and opened her eyes. She heard someone say "oh, thank god." It sounded like Spike. He didn't seem the type to say that sort of thing; she wasn't sure what was happening. As the room came into focus, she noticed she was in Giles' bedroom.

"What? What's happening?" she heard Buffy say.

"She's opened her eyes," Spike answered.

Willow tried to sit up, but when she did, she noticed that moving her arms hurt a lot.

"Don't move so soon, pet. He hit you with some nasty stuff."

Willow looked at her arms. They were unusually red. "Have I been at the beach?" She seemed to have a pretty bad sunburn. Then Willow really looked at Spike. He looked so much worse. She let out a gasp. "What happened to you?" He looked away.

"Hey, Spike, why don't you go see if Giles has any aloe? You both look like you could use some," Buffy suggested. He nodded and left the room.

Little bits of what happened at the crypt started forming in Willow's mind. Her lower lip started to quiver. "Buffy," she said slowly. "Where's Cyn?"

The Slayer sat down gently at Willow's side. "We'll find her, Will."

Tears started forming rapidly in Willow's eyes and spilling over. "He has her. He might hurt her. She'll be so scared. She's alone."

"Shh," Buffy said. "We'll find her. He didn't hurt her last night. He's just kidnapped her. If he needs her to ransom something, he's not gonna hurt her. We found out what kind of demon we're working with here; it's gonna be okay. I promise."

Willow tried to move her arms again and winced. "What _happened_? I was trying to do the spell again, but he stopped me... I don't remember anymore..."

"Spike says you got hit with one of his blasts. Giles says they can be fatal, so he might not have even been trying to kill you. But it burned you pretty bad. Nothing seems broken, does it?"

Willow moved all her appendages just enough to make sure they worked. "Nothing broken. What happened to Spike?"

Buffy sighed. "My guess? He tried to go after the demon when he took Cyn, not even thinking about it being daytime. Then he probably caught on fire. Then he must've come back to the crypt and when you wouldn't wake up, he threw a blanket over himself and brought you here. Judging by the burns on _his_ arms, he probably singed himself again."

Willow nodded mutely. He must have felt so helpless when Cyn was taken.

Spike reappeared in the doorway. "No aloe, but he says this cortisone stuff should help."

Buffy stood up. "Now that you're both awake and have some burn tending to do, I'm gonna go back downstairs and see how we're progressing with ideas on how to kick this demon's ass when we find him." She closed the door behind her; something told her the other two needed to be alone for a bit.

Spike sat down next to Willow. He gently took one of her arms and pushed her sleeve up. His hands didn't feel as cool as normal. Willow wondered if it was because he was burned or because her skin was so hot that she just couldn't tell. She closed her eyes while he massaged the lotion onto her skin. He was being as delicate as he could, but it still hurt.

"I'm sorry I let him take her," he said lowly.

Willow's eyes opened abruptly. "Don't." He looked at her. "You didn't _let_ him take her," she said strongly. "I remember that much. You fought. He was big, you weren't prepared, it's the middle of the day, you were disadvantaged."

"Disadvantaged," Spike muttered. He started on Willow's other arm.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"She screamed for me, Willow." The sound of Spike's voice when he said that broke Willow's heart. "She said 'daddy, help me' and I - I couldn't get to her, I - " he closed his mouth. Willow was crying again. She ignored the pain when she moved and sat up anyway. All she was thinking was that no words would do any good for either of them, but she had to do something. So she put her hands tenderly on either side of his face and kissed him. It wasn't about passion, it was about comfort.

She pulled away. "We _will_ find a way to ger her back from him."

He opened his mouth to protest and she kissed him again, more forcefully this time, pushing open his mouth with her tongue. And as he kissed her back, he understood that this kiss was saying something. She was saying that she didn't blame him for Cyn's capture and she was saying that they'd work together to get her back. He was saying he was in this with her.

After a moment, Willow was out of breath from the intensity of the kiss. "Now," she said a little breathlessly. "Hand _me_ the cortisone so I can tend your burns."

* * *

"So what we're dealing with here is a Renga demon," Buffy explained. She was pacing the length of the living room. Willow and Spike had just come downstairs and Buffy was filling them in. Xander and Anya had been dispatched to look for Cyn and the Renga. Giles had several volumes of text open on his dining table.

"Giles called Wesley and asked him to whip out his book on lesser female deities; Dreska's in there. We told him what knew about the demon who took Cyn and Wes said that sounded a lot like something in the book. Bottom line: the Renga used to exist in the same plane as Dreska. Maybe she kicked him out somehow; we don't know. But it looks like he's the one who brought Cyn to this dimension and wants to use her as a playing card to get back." Buffy took a deep breath. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, what's the best way to kill him?"

Buffy actually smiled at Spike. "Any of the usual methods ought to do, provided we get close enough and can be sure it won't endanger Cyn."

"How do we find him? Where is he keeping her? How does he plan to use her?" As Willow's voice rose, Spike put a hand on her knee. "Hey," was all he said. She nodded.

"We actually have a bit of a lead on that," Buffy answered. "Wes is gonna have Cordelia e-mail us all they have on Dreska and the Renga. We hope something in there will clue us in on how he got her out or plans to get himself back in. My guess? It has something to do with the hellmouth. I mean, why else travel to Sunnydale to kidnap someone who doesn't live in this dimension anyway?"

"Right, hellmouth," Willow said dryly. "I almost forgot we live on one of those." She stood up. "If Cordy's e-mailing us, I'll need my laptop. It's at the dorm." She cast a small glance at Spike and headed for the door. Buffy said "I'll go with" and they left.

Spike sat quietly on Giles' sofa. There wasn't enough of a plan, he decided. So he began thinking. The Renga had something they wanted. Apparently, Dreska had something the Renga wanted.

"Hey, Watcher," Spike called out. Giles lifted his head. "How did Red get involved with Dreska in the first place? A spell, wasn't it?"

Giles nodded slowly; he didn't know where Spike was going with this. "She implored Dreska to show her life and power or something similar, thus enabling Dreska to enter Willow's body, from dusk to dawn, when Dreska is her strongest."

Spike considered this. "I may have an idea."

Giles gave him an apprehensive eyebrow quirk.

"Just hear me out, mate," he said as he got up from the sofa and wandered over to the table. "Willow and I are right pissed about this fellow takin' Cyn. You got to think Dreska herself would be ready rip him a new one or spit fire or something, right?"

"Spike," Giles asked calmly. "Where are you going with this?"

"We need more ammo against the Renga. Why not get Dreska in on the deal? When she posessed Willow, it made her a right powerful witch. What do you suppose would happen if she overtook a Slayer?" Spike crossed his arms and waited for Giles to tell him to shove something up his ass.

The older man took off his glasses. What Spike was suggesting added an element of danger to an already volatile situation. But Dreska _would_ have the child's best interest in mind. And they didn't know much about the Renga. Was this another of Spike's plans to put Buffy in danger or did he really care that much about the girl? Giles couldn't seem to get the imagery of Spike appearing at his door hours before, with a look of pure horror on his face because Cyn had been taken and Willow was hurt. And Giles had to concede that vampires don't usually make it past a hundred years without pretty good instincts.

"Ask Buffy. It's her decision."

Spike's eyes widened in surprise; Giles had taken him seriously. But what would the Slayer say?

* * *

"Like purposely take over my body?" Buffy acted like she'd been asked to go on patrol naked from now on.

"Just for one night," Spike said in exasperation.

"Please tell me this isn't a plan to get into Buffy's pants, too," Xander said. Spike glared at him. Willow looked embarrassed.

"Xander," Giles warned. "When Dreska overtook Willow, it was because she wanted to reproduce. This time, if she entered Buffy, it would be to protect her offspring."

"So it'd be pretty much a one night only deal?" Anya asked. "Buffy wouldn't be waking up naked with Spike or anyone?"

"Hey! Buffy standing right here!" Buffy shouted. Riley put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "How do we know for sure it'll only be this one night?" he asked.

"Um, guys? Why can't _I_ be the one to have Dreska possess me? I mean, been there, done that." Willow didn't see why this hadn't been suggested in the first place. Buffy and Xander opened their mouths to agree, but Spike was already approaching Willow.

"Because you and Dreska together is just gonna make one powerful witch that can't make any objective decisions because her daughter is in jeopardy. Plus, you're already injured; you can barely move your arms. Dreska in the Slayer is gonna make her more powerful, but she'll still be enough Buffy to keep her head about her." When Spike was standing still next to Willow, he dropped his voice and added "I want her safe as much as you do, but somebody has to look out for you, too, ducks."

Willow turned her head away from him abruptly, partially because she was mad that he had a point and in part because her face flushed because he was trying to protect her. Across the room, Buffy just blinked a couple of times. Had Spike just complimented her?

"It's up to you, Buffy," Giles stated. "Invoking Dreska will be a little dangerous, but I doubt it's anything you can't handle. And it is the best plan we've got."

Buffy sighed. She could do this. She would do this. "Fine. Wills, you figure out how to get Dreska to inhabit me, we'll get Cyn back, dispatch Ringo, and save the day." She nodded. "Oh, and if I wake up naked tomorrow morning with _anybody_ besides Riley, there will be unhappy faces and perhaps broken bones." She nodded again.

"So, one demon possession potion-thingy coming up?" Anya smiled brightly. "Sounds like fun."


	5. Chapter 5

It was nearly dusk. The gang, sans Spike, was gathered near the old school. Giles was sorting various spell elements into piles, while Willow was doing a final skim over the printout of Cordelia's e-mail. Buffy was pacing, though Riley was doing his best to keep her calm, which, of course, wasn't working. Xander and Anya were on perimeter detail.

"Y'know, Buffy," Willow commented. "I know you're wigged about letting Dreska possess you, but if it's any consolation, this invocation spell that Wes had looks much more solid than the translation I made."

Buffy ceased pacing for a moment. Riley mouthed "thank you" to Willow over his girlfriend's shoulder. "How so?" the slayer asked.

"Well, the incantion I did last fall was kind of nebulous; I can admit that." She glanced at Giles and gave him an apologetic smile. "But this one is more your run-of-the-mill exploration deal. Wes says Dreska had some worshippers back at the last turn of the century who were keen on experiencing her firsthand and so they worked out this spell."

Buffy seemed suitably intrigued and came to join Willow. "I like the part where you make it seem like this is no big deal."

"Would that be sarcasm I hear, Miss Summers?" Willow feigned an authoritative tone.

"Alas, no. I really want you to tell me this will work and just for the one night and just to kick kidnapper ass and that I won't be full-on possessed and lose my mind and find myself doing the nas-" Buffy broke off her statement as Willow broke eye contact. She hadn't meant to seem so insulting about Willow having slept with Spike. But, where Spike was concerned, Buffy seemed to be all insults. "I just mean... tell me this will work."

"It has to," was all Willow said.

* * *

Spike was restless. He couldn't stop replaying Cyn's voice in his head. Nor could he wipe from his mind the image of Willow's body slumped on the crypt floor. He dropped another cigarette butt to the stone floor, where it met a pile of nearly a dozen like it. The sun seemed to be sinking as slowly as possible. He toyed with the notion of bundling up in a blanket and heading to the school right then, but then he remembered his blanket was still at the watcher's place. And there wouldn't be anything for him to do at the school yet, anyway.

Willow would be there, though. What if she needed comforting? At that thought, he scoffed at himself. Right, mate. Where was this leading him? He knew none of them believed him to be anything more than a monster. And he was a monster. But he still had feelings. He still cared for things.

And he still had the capacity to love.

He loved Cyn; he knew it, felt it. She was a part of him and he loved her. But he was also starting to get the feeling that somewhere between a demon deity seducing him in Willow's body and Willow tending to his burns after Cyn was kidnapped again, that he had started to fall in love with her.

Oh yeah, Spike knew he _could_ be in love with Willow, but what good did that do any of them?

* * *

Giles cleared his throat. "Alright. Nearly sunset. Buffy?" He held the newly mixed potion out in his hand. She and Willow had been practicing pronunciation of key words in the incantation.

Xander wandered up, axe slung over one shoulder. "Still clear. Are we all set?"

"All set," Buffy answered dubiously, eyeing the flask Giles had given her.

Giles checked his pocket watch. "Sunset in two minutes," he said.

Willow was nervous. No sign of the Renga yet. No Cyn. Had he fed her? Was she hurt? Was she scared? And where was Spike?

As if on cue, she heard him emerge from some brush behind them. "So when does this party get started?"

"Oh, good," Xander commented. "And here we thought you might not make it."

Spike ignored him. He went to Willow's side. "You holding up all right, love?"

Willow's hands were in a knot. She seemed very distracted. "Yes. No." She acted on impulse and reached over to hug him. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered and pulled back from him. His expression did not change, but he tightened the grip of his hand on her arm.

Buffy kicked back the potion, made a "bleghhh" noise and began intoning the spell to invoke Dreska. When she finished, she looked up from the paper and asked "how do I know if it worked?" Then, before anyone could answer, she gasped and arched her back, closing her eyes and dropping the printout and empty flask from her hands.

Xander's eyes bugged a little. "Oh, I'd say it's doing something alright."

At this time, Anya circled back around the school. She didn't seem to notice Buffy's behavior as odd. "He's here," she stated as she met the group. "The kid's tied up. She doesn't look bloody."

For once, Xander and Spike seemed to react to something the same way, because they both frowned at Anya's frankness. Willow blanched. But Buffy rolled her head down to face Anya, and when she opened her eyes, they were narrowed in an expression that was un-Buffylike.

"Where is he?" The Slayer's tone was deep, even and murderous.

For a moment, everyone seemed a little startled by how frightening Buffy looked. Then Anya spoke up. "He's outside the burnt up remains of the library."

Buffy assessed Anya and Xander quickly. "You two assist her," she looked quickly at Willow, "in securing the safety of the child."

She whipped quickly to Spike and Riley. "You will assist me against Jharel. We will show him no mercy."

She faltered when she turned to Giles. "You," was all she said at first. Her head tilted to the side. "We never got to finish."

Giles' eyebrows raised at once. And was he blushing? Willow intervened quickly. "Hey! Task at hand, task at hand!"

Before nodding curtly to Willow, Buffy gave one very smoldering smile at Giles that made him quickly look away. "Fine, fine," the Slayer said. "Here is what you will do..."

* * *

Something very primal occurred inside Willow when she saw Cyn bound and gagged. The little girl's eyes were unsettling. They'd gone golden in her anger, but the tears coming out of them were in fear.

Xander sensed Willow's anger boiling. "Stay calm, Wills," he whispered. "You've got to keep focused. Don't look at her; just face me and think about what to do to save her."

Willow was conscious of Dreska-Buffy moving towards Jharel. Riley and Spike moved as a team behind her. In any other situation, she might have marveled at their cooperation. Instead, she turned back to Xander and Anya. "I have a plan. Give me your hands." And then Willow began whispering.

Jharel laughed as the slayer approached. "Dreska," he boomed. "You save me the effort of summoning you, but you come in a slayer vessel."

"I come for what's mine." She showed no signs of stopping her approach.

Jharel held up his hands and two orbs of energy rose to hover above them. He aimed his right arm at Cyn. "It'll be a thousand years before you can conceive another of these." He aimed his left arm at Dreska-Buffy. "Stand down."

"You steal my daughter and think to tell me what to do?" Dreska's tone was haughty, but she had halted her advance.

Jharel said the girl was his passport back home. Dreska shook her head, but she let him rant about how his expulsion wasn't fair, that he didn't mean to slaughter an entire tribe of Dreska's people. She was biding her time, waiting for everyone to be in place. Jharel was in the midst of saying just let him come home and he'd be a good boy when Spike spoke softly behind her. "They're in place."

Jharel had no chance.

Dreska-Buffy, Spike and Riley made a simultaneous advance. Started, Jharel let fly the blast of energy aimed at Cyn. Spike roared when he saw her disappear from atop the gravestone she had been perched on, and flew at Jharel, knocking the other blast toward the night sky. Riley helped take Jharel down, where Dreska-Buffy began pummeling him. She fought to keep him sufficiently disoriented by physical blows, yet she had to let him focus enough for more energy discharge.

Willow, Xander, and Anya were busy covering Cyn from sight. Willow had cast a spell over the three of them, making them temporarily invisible. They had been crouched behind Cyn, ready to pull her out of harm's way. As it was, the blast had still caught part of Xander's left arm.

When they decided everything was ready, Spike and Riley let Jharel land the appropriate blows to get them out of the way and Dreska-Buffy retreated from the fight. She paused twenty feet away from him. Jharel sensed a win. He readied two more blasts and aimed them at Dreska-Buffy.

"I'll give your people my regards. After I kill your daughter, of course," he sneered. Then he let the beams rush from his hands toward her.

Dreska used Buffy's slayer speed and agility to twist and leap over the headstone behind her, where Giles was waiting. Together, they raised a three-feet section of mirror that Giles had ripped from the wall of the nearest gas station's rest room.

Jharel, lacking slayer speed and agility, couldn't dodge the white hot beams of light that shot back at him.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow," was all Xander said as Willow spoke the spell to make them visible again. "I've been holding that in," he explained. Anya was already holding up his arm to inspect it.

"Burns. I know," Willow said. "It gets better."

They had worked off Cyn's bonds while Dreska-Buffy and the guys fought Jharel. Now she was sucking her thumb and clutching Willow tightly.

Spike appeared beside them. "She alright?"

Willow struggled to stand up with the little girl still firmly attached to her. "She's still shaking." Spike moved closer to them. He reached out to rest his hands on Willow's shoulders, effectively enveloping Cyn between their bodies. Then he growled. It was definately a vampire thing, but it wasn't to frighten either of them. It was territorial. Cyn seemed to take comfort in it. Then Spike pulled back and stared at them.

"Spike?" Willow tilted her head at him. "What are you doing?"

"Preserving a memory." He smiled, but it wasn't the Spike smirk-smile that Willow was used to. This one was new. He stepped back to them and put his arms around both of them again. "There was a moment in the fight when I looked around and I couldn't see either of you. I thought I had lost you both." He gripped them harder and tears stung at Willow's eyes, but she didn't trust herself to say anything.

Dreska had been watching them for several moments. She approached them and Spike and Willow parted, allowing Dreska-Buffy to lean forward and place a kiss on Cyn's forehead. She patted the girl's head lovingly, and then she looked to the redhead holding her.

"Willow." The voice sounded unusual saying it, like it was for the first time, and Willow knew it was Dreska talking.

"You and your vampire did a great service for me," Dreska began.

Willow blushed and darted a nervous glance at Spike. "He's not _my_ vampire..."

"I wish to thank you. I would like to offer you something. May I see your necklace?"

Willow found this an odd request but she nevertheless complied. Overall, she was a compliant person. She reached up and undid the clasp on her neck. It was a string of multicolored beads, with a larger amber colored stone dangling from the center. Dreska smiled when she took it from her.

"These are not precious stones, but I believe they will do." She held the necklace in her borrowed slayer hands and closed her eyes, whispering something. Willow watched with interest. After a moment, Dreska looked out at Willow through Buffy's eyes and smiled. She took the necklace and fastened it back around Willow's neck.

"You helped me conceive something I could not on my own. You and your vampire gave me a portion of your essence. And when this gift was stolen from me, you took care of it, attempted to protect it with your very life, and insured that I had a way to fight for it as well. I am truly in your debt. Please accept this as a token of my thanks."

Willow flushed at Dreska's show of gratitude. "You're very welcome." It completely didn't occur to her to ask what the deal was with the necklace.

Dreska-Buffy stood there for a moment and none of them said anything. Giles, Riley, Anya and Xander made their way over.

"It's time to take her back, isn't it?" Willow asked. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Dreska nodded.

"I'm glad I got to meet her," Willow said. Spike nodded his head once.

Cyn lifted her head from where it had been resting on Willow's shoulder. "Don't cry, mommy. You're so pretty." Willow let out a laugh that was a half-sob. Cyn kissed her on the cheek.

"Take care of yourself, little bit," Spike told her. Cyn smiled very big at him to show off her pointed teeth. And then she reached out her arms to Dreska-Buffy, who took her in.

Dreska stepped back from the group. "You all have been very worthy comrades. I offer you my deepest thanks." She looked at Riley. "Could you come stand behind me?"

Riley raised his eyebrows, but did so. Dreska-Buffy closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Cyn started waving her hand and blew a kiss. Then there was a lot of bright light and when it vanished, Buffy was slumped in Riley's arms.

Since Buffy seemed to be merely sleeping, Riley carried her back to Giles' place, where the watcher made tea and Xander's burns were doctored. Spike seemed to have tagged along for moral support for Willow.

"What was it like?" was the first thing everyone wanted to know when Buffy came to. She said she didn't remember everything, but she had felt Dreska's desire to protect Cyn and her admiration of Willow and Spike. And she'd known all about Jharel. "Death might have been a little good for him," was all she said on the matter.

It was getting late, and Xander and Anya had already left. Spike was outside smoking a cigarette. Riley was in the kitchen talking with Giles. Willow came to sit on the couch next to Buffy.

"Hey, Buff, you may not remember, but what was the deal with Dreska wanting to see my necklace?"

Unexpectedly, Buffy blushed. "She didn't tell you?"

Willow shook her head.

"Oh, uh, well... I guess she thought you and Spike were, y'know, like a couple or something." Buffy shifted, sort of uncomfortable.

"And?"

Buffy sighed. "And she was grateful, right? So she worked some funky mojo on the necklace and now it's like a reverse contraceptive."

Willow sat up straighter. "You don't mean - "

Buffy nodded slowly. "Yep. You wear that necklace and have sex with the Billy Idol out there and you two crazy kids can have your very own little wiccan-vamp baby."

Willow stared at her, speechless.

"I guess Dreska didn't know that was never gonna happen."

Willow still stared. Buffy added "Right?"

"What? Oh! Oh, yeah, that? Pfft. No. I mean, well, no. Probably no."

Buffy opened her mouth, but was cut off by Riley asking her if she was ready to go home or did she want to patrol first. Buffy agreed to a quick patrol. The three of them ambled out of Giles' apartment together, but Willow lingered by Spike outside while Riley and Buffy made their way off.

Willow felt a lot of emotions bubbling under the surface. Spike could tell. He let his cigarette butt drop to the ground. "So," he said.

"Yeah," Willow answered.

He looked at Willow quietly for a long time. Then he cocked his head to the side and held out his hand. "Walk you home?"

As Willow regarded him evenly, some of the swirling inside seemed to gain focus. She looked at him and she saw him as Dreska had the first time. Passion. Poetry. Desire. Unconsciously, her hand went up to the necklace.

"Yes, I think yes, you can."

She unfastened the necklace and dropped it in her pocket. Then she smiled and took his hand.


End file.
